1. Field of the Invention
A conveyor belt cleaner is for an endless conveyor belt entrained about a pair of rollers or pulleys and comprises a plurality of independently operable wiper blade assemblies for removing from the conveyor belt abrasive and/or foreign materials. Because of the tendency of the belt to accumulate adhering material, it is commonplace to provide beneath the return strand of the belt a plurality of wiper blade assemblies to remove this material, thus increasing the life of the belt.
2. Description of the Prior Art
My U.S. Pat. No. 3,342,312 dated Sept. 19, 1967, discloses a mechanical cleaner assembly mounted underneath the return run or strand of the conveyor belt and subjected primarily to bending and torsional forces. The cleaner includes a plurality of torsion springs or arms, each arm operating independently of the other. My patent as well as the McWilliams U.S. Pat. No. 3,656,610, dated Apr. 18, 1972, and the Sinden U.S. Pat. No. 2,794,540, dated June 4, 1957, each utilizes a cross angle, support or holder for carrying the spring arm wiper blades, with the holder being mounted for rotation. One end of the holder, as an example, is provided with an adjusting lever which is rotated thereby urging the wiper blades against the under side of the belt with enough pressure to insure contact and effective removal of the foreign material.
The present invention departs from the prior art in that a rotatable support or holder is not required in order to urge the blades against the belt to pressurize same. With the present invention, a pair of jack screws are interposed between the wiper blade support and the frame. The jack screws are rotated to vertically raise or lower the blade support member in order to urge the blades against the conveyor belt.